Transcription
eBookUnleash thePower of Contentin Salesforce
IntroductionAs a sales leader, one of your mostimportant roles is providing your sales teamwith the guidance and tools they needto successfully sell. At the top of the listfor most organizations today is customerrelationship management (CRM) software,like Salesforce.Salesforce is a business-critical platformthat plays a pivotal role at the center ofsales operations. But organizations areincreasingly finding that Salesforce aloneisn’t enough.Turning traditional sellers into digitalwarriors starts by arming them with atoolkit that unleashes the power of contentthrough: Fast content discovery Easy content personalization Better collaboration and teamalignment Robust content analytics to boostbuyer engagementTo transform their sales teams into highperforming, revenue-generating machines,successful organizations proactively equiptheir sellers with sophisticated add-onsto make Salesforce even more useful—especially as it relates to content.Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce2
Salesforce Sales EnablementCompanies continue to make significant investments inCRM software because it allows them to address majorfrustrations such as an inability to see how sales teams areengaging with customers or accurately monitor the statusof accounts at every point in the deal cycle. Without thislevel of understanding, it’s difficult to manage the business,forecast sales, or optimize team productivity.CRMs, like Salesforce, are designed to solve theseproblems by being the single source of truth for selleractivities. However, to maximize the value of Salesforce, anorganization must not only ensure sellers are consistentlypopulating the CRM with accurate data, but also activelymotivate those sellers to adopt the platform.The importance of adoptionCRM adoption has a direct impact on seller productivity,sales team success, and overall business revenue. That’swhy so many organizations are focused on increasingadoption of Salesforce.Effective sales organizations are81% more likely to consistently usea CRM or other system of record1.Integrations increase Salesforce use. Sellers don’t have to leaveSalesforce to access their other critical sales systems. The result ismore time selling and less time combing through the tech stack tofind what they need.Sales enablement is one of these critical systems that can makeSalesforce even more sticky and impactful.1 http://v1.aberdeen.com/launch/report/research eash the Power of Content in Salesforce3
Why a sales enablement integration?Sales enablement is the process through which traditionalbarriers are removed between Sales and Marketing. Salesenablement improves the entire content process, increasescollaboration, enhances alignment, and unlocks insights thatlead to better-informed business decisions.A sales enablement solution makes it easier for sellers to sendcontent to customers, track the customer’s engagement withthat content, and ultimately provide content usage informationto the seller so they can better understand a buyer’s interests.The sales enablement solution surfaces content relevant tospecific industries, personas, or customer journey stages.It highlights content that is trending, has been successful inthe past, or is especially contextually relevant to the deal theseller is currently working.Marketing also benefits from a sales enablementsolution. It streamlines content management, and itgives marketers the tools to tag content so it will besurfaced to sellers when they need it—increasingthe use of marketing-created content.MarketingSalesenablementCRMSalesUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce4
Content is critical for Digital WarriorsContent is more important than everSellers today need to be furnished with solutions that optimize theiruse of content. That’s because today’s buyers are consuming morecontent and they expect that content to be relevant.Half of US consumers say they havespent more time consuming contentthan before the pandemic2With the rise of virtual selling, content is more important than everfor the last mile, that critical touchpoint between seller and buyer.But accessing the right content for this stage isn’t always easy.Content disconnectThe marketing team often produces the bulk of the content forsales enablement. Which means that content is usually stored andmaintained in another system along with the associated usage data.This creates a serious disconnect that requires sellers to regularlyleave Salesforce in search of content to share with their customers.It also creates a headache for the content management teambecause sellers, understandably, create copies of assets and storethem in more accessible locations and then reuse them over andover even as they become outdated or off-brand.By integrating a sales enablement solution with Salesforce, youmake critical content and usage data readily available to sellerswhile also ensuring marketing and other creators can maintaincontent governance and integrity.82%82% of buyers viewed at leastfive pieces of content from thevendor prior to purchase385%85% of companies agree thatbuyers will dismiss a seller inthe first interaction if they don’treceive tailored information4Customers are already 57% ofthe way down the purchase pathbefore they consider engagingwith a sales person52 ions-survey-results3 https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/1941744/TBIG Conferences/110 Sales and Marketingstatistics.pdf?t 14776624517074 Forrester, “The State Of Enterprise Sales Enablement, 2019” commissioned by Seismic5 challenger-saleUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce5
Powering up with a salesenablement integrationA sales enablement integration unites your Digital Warriorsand your marketers by providing a single source of contenttruth. Sellers can optimize customer interactions andaccelerate deal cycles by delivering the right content at theright time and understanding the context of how to use agiven asset at a given point in the sales process.The combination of Salesforce and sales enablement alignsmission-critical content with the sales pipeline so sellers canengage customers with the organization’s most relevant andcompelling stories. Because sellers live in Salesforce andconstantly update records, companies have greater visibilityinto account history, the latest activity records, and insightsinto growth—all in one place.Your organization has investeda lot in Salesforce.You’ve placed a bet that it can helpsellers close more deals, faster. Andit can—if you unleash the power ofcontent in Salesforce through a salesenablement integration.Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce6
The Case for DrivingSalesforce AdoptionIntegrating critical systems like sales enablement intoSalesforce helps increase Salesforce adoption, whichultimately means increased ROI from your CRM.CRMs like Salesforce bringtremendous valueResulting in betterperformance from sales repsBusinesses that use a CRM report:Studies show sales organizations that use CRMs can see a potential: 8.71Average ROI(per dollar spent)50%Increase inproductivity65%Increase insales quota 245%Potential ROI40%Decrease inlabor costsAdding a sales enablementintegration drives adoption350%Increase incontent usage35%More timespent selling32%More leads inthe -5e8eb23980be/entry/2017CRM Statistics Show Why it s a Powerful Marketing Weapon?lang rackvia.com/blog/wp-content/2013/02/TrackVia CRM 72-01.png41%29%34%8-14%Increase in salesrevenuesIncrease insalesIncrease in productivityfrom sales repsShorter sales cycles dueto data accessibilityBut only when Salesforceis well-adopted26%Average CRMadoption rateacross industries73%Average CRM useradoption among salesprofessionals 75%Adoption rates resultsin poorer sales erations-optimization-study/Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce7
Unleashing the powerof content in SalesforceWhen you integrate a sales enablement solution in Salesforce,you add a content toolkit that provides two key benefits: Greater Salesforce adoption Increased sales velocityContent unlocks these benefits by improving the effectivenessof each buyer interaction and improving the seller experience.Your sellers are focused on reaching buyers with the rightinformation to move the sale along. So it’s frustrating whenthey have to waste time searching for content and manuallyupdate it for each opportunity. When sellers can easily tellthe right story at the right time to a buyer—and measure theeffectiveness of their efforts—that moves buyers through thejourney faster, accelerating sales.What about adoption?Salesforce becomes more sticky asyou integrate value-add functionalityinto it. Adding powerful contentcapabilities to Salesforce does justthat. Sellers are more productive andsuccessful, which increases theirwillingness to adopt the CRM.Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce8
The content toolkit Personalize content Collaborate on content for opportunities Gain valuable buyer insights through content usage dataPererovsoelizDiscover the best content for each selling situationna DiscWhat capabilities does a sales enablement solution bring toSalesforce? A solution like Seismic empowers sellers to:insightsorinGaStudies show that up to 90% of marketing content goes unused bysales reps6. One reason is that many times it is just too hard to findthe right asset. But that’s where sales enablement solutions excel.They provide the ability to find content even if you only remember afragment of text from the piece.ateContent discoverybll aoCThe best solutions do more than a keyword search, though. Theyprovide content discovery through tools like Seismic’s predictivecontent engine which tracks how and when content is used inopportunities that led to closed-won deals, and then suggests thatwinning content to sales reps who are in similar selling situations.Using technology in this way makes it easier to share best practicesacross sales organizations.6 pdfUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce9
Seismicpredictivecontent engineSalesforcerecord dataA strong sales enablement integration will augmentits own powerful discovery tools by leveraging theinformation in Salesforce. That means that a sellerlooking at a particular contact or account record canimmediately discover the best content for this buyer.The system is situationally aware: it knows whichcontent works best based on the buyer’s industry,sales stage, etc. and adjusts recommendationsto the buyer journey so appropriate content isdelivered at the top, middle, and bottom of thefunnel. Sellers always have access to the mostrelevant content at the right time.Content targeted tothis selling solutionUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce10
Now, it’s easier than ever foryour Digital Warriors to find thecontent most likely to acceleratethe deal, and they don’t evenhave to leave Salesforce.Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce11
Content personalizationWith a sales enablement integration, sellers can easily preview therecommended content within Salesforce to see if it’s right for their buyer.They can do more than that, though. A good sales enablement integrationallows sellers to utilize the latest version of a core asset—which ispresumably branded and reflects the agreed-upon messaging, information,and data—then personalize it with information from Salesforce.Common data used for restNumber ofemployeesThat’s important, because research shows that buyers engagemore with personalized content. 80% of consumers said they’re more likely to make a purchasefrom a company that provides a personalized experience.7 78% of customers expect consistent interactions across theirjourney, meaning reuse of the information they’ve alreadyprovided.8In the last mile—where sellers are trying to build relationships withindividual buyers—personalization is especially important. Salesvelocity increases with increased buyer engagement.{{}}{{}}{{}}Personalized content is critical. Butso is consistency. Integrating yoursales enablement platform lets contentcreators maintain consistency ofbranding and messaging while givingsellers the ability to tailor content toindividual selling situations.7 iences8 xperience.htmlUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce12
Collaborating on contentSpeed and collaboration become even more important whena buyer turns into an opportunity. At this stage, more teammembers become involved, necessitating broader visibilityinto the content associated with the opportunity, such asproposals, pitch decks, and contracts.Workspaces surfaced in Salesforce through the salesenablement solution provide secure spaces to collaborate onthe important content at this stage. Seismic’s Workspaces arevirtual, tailored content repositories specific to an opportunityand where only stakeholders associated with that record canupload, view, store, collaborate and edit one-off content,keeping the team focused without distracting others.A strong sales enablement platform can keep workspacespartitioned from the primary content library, so unique assetsdon’t mix with everything else, which would lead to contentsprawl, slower searches, and seller confusion.Sales is under pressure to enable their teamsquickly. Yet, it can take over five months toramp a new salesperson to productivity! Witha strong sales enablement integration, sellerscan get up to speed, share information, andlearn faster.Using Workspaces, all the content relevant toan opportunity is automatically associated withthe Salesforce record. This provides context fora seller, who can acclimate to a new accountin minutes, rather than months. A strongintegration will also maintain an audit trail ofcontent actions which allows managers toprovide fact-based feedback to the team.Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce13
Using content insightsMost companies now have rich data at the top of the funnel,such as the number of website visits and engagementanalytics on content distributed through marketing channels.But it’s much more difficult to know what is happening in thelast mile of the deal cycle, when companies activate theirexpensive sales teams. Critical data, such as what contentthe seller sent to the customer, at which sales stage, andhow long the buyer engaged with that content, is harder toconsistently track.Powerful sales enablement platforms offer powerfulintelligence. Platforms, like Seismic, allow sellers to sendcontent in a way that tracks the buyer’s engagement with thatcontent. Sellers can use Seismic’s LiveSend feature to sendpersonalized content as a link so that engagement is trackedin the activity history of the Salesforce record associated withthat LiveSend.That means that the next time the seller checks on the lead,contact, account, or opportunity, he or she can see whetherthe buyer opened the content that was sent, how often theyopened it, and how much time they spent on it.Sales enablement integrationsshould always capture engagementdata automatically. 32% of salesrepresentatives spend more than anhour a day on manual data entry.9It’s a key reason for the lack of CRMadoption. So the more your integrationsaves sellers’ time, the more likely theyare to use it.9 -of-trends-data-and-market-share/#link4Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce14
32%of sales representativesspend more than an hour aday on manual data entry.FinancesOnlineUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce15
ConclusionMaximizing CRM adoption is a primary objective for sales and sales operations leadersbecause it helps them manage the business more effectively and take full advantage ofa significant technology investment. A sales enablement integration can support thesegoals by providing sellers with a content toolkit that allows them to be more productiveand provide exceptional buyer experiences—from within Salesforce.Organizations that have implemented the Seismic sales enablement solution8 have seen:350%Increase incontent usage35%More timespent selling32%More leads inthe pipeline8%Shorter salescycleAdding a content toolkit to Salesforce makes it sticky, driving adoption. Empowering sellerswith easy access to high-performing content and engagement analytics accelerates thebuyer journey ultimately leading to more revenue. Seismic for Salesforce is a powerfuladdition to strengthen your team of Digital Warriors.Ready to see why Seismic and Salesforce are better together?Let an expert show you how a sales enablementintegration can make your sellers more effective.Request a Demo8 Seismic researchUnleash the Power of Content in Salesforce16
About SeismicSeismic is the industry-leading sales enablement and marketingorchestration solution, aligning go-to-market teams whileempowering them to deliver engaging buyer experiences thatdrive growth. Seismic’s Storytelling Platform delivers innovativecapabilities for marketers to orchestrate content delivery acrossall channels, and for sellers to engage with prospective buyers ina compelling, resonant manner at every step of the buyer journey.More than 600 enterprises including IBM and American Expresshave made Seismic their sales enablement platform of choice. TheSeismic Storytelling Platform integrates with business-criticalplatforms including Microsoft, Salesforce, Google and Adobe.Seismic is headquartered in San Diego, with offices across NorthAmerica, Europe, and Australia.To see how Seismic is being used by companies in your industry,please visit seismic.com. 2020 Seismic. All rights reserved.
Unleash the Power of Content in Salesforce 12 Content personalization With a sales enablement integration, sellers can easily preview the recommended content within Salesforce to see if it’s rig
